Fishy Yakov wrote:>This is a probably not what you should take from this, but he is so totally into you.

n-NO! First potential death and now more flirting? Just kill me now!

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Haha, Licia has a stalker!>We don't recall shocking him, by the way. Perhaps we don't remember, perhaps the amulet did it by itself. He didn't really tell you much about us, though, did he?

Ugh... Don't remind me.

And no, the amulet isn't supposed to do that. As far as I know, at least.I don't know what this "binding" thing is. The scroll didn't mention it. It also didn't mention your... apparent memory loss.

Anyway, the bag is gone, so I've got no other reason to stay here. Can I leave this place now?

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>Hmm... I've thought of something interesting, my disembodied fellows.>I wonder if our host is incapable of making decisions for herself now. >On that note, why are you asking permission from us Licia?

>Yes, she's seems a bit at a loss.>Licia, my dear, you don't have to ask for our permission to leave. >Unless the amulet is mystically forcing you to, in which case, ask away.>Now, I suggest you head on outside, go look for your brother, and then venture off to the city of Rhea. Seeing as how Kanden gave out his hometown, I say we hurry on down there and go in for round two.

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Mr. Fountain wrote:>Hmm... I've thought of something interesting, my disembodied fellows.>I wonder if our host is incapable of making decisions for herself now. >On that note, why are you asking permission from us Licia?

I... don't know?I really hope that isn't the case. I was looking for knowledge, not mind control!

Forget I even asked! I'm leaving right now.I grab the backpack and find that rusty axe on the ground where I'd thrown it. The backpack has little convenient loops on it for tools and stuff, so I slip the axe in the largest one. I am now carrying a Rusty Axe, a Leather Backpack, and the Note, which I stuffed in one of the pockets. Also whatever else is in the backpack, I didn't look through it all the way.

Uh. Yeah. I should go.I slip on the backpack, leave the room, and make for the front door.

Megantron wrote:> Licia, you can do whatever your heart desires... and if your heart desires you to find Kanden and live happily ever after with him, then so be it! Smile)))

"Uh... I think not!" I say out loud, almost involuntarily.t-That is most certainly not my heart's desire.Will you give it a rest already!?

Nexeria wrote:>Yes, she's seems a bit at a loss.>Licia, my dear, you don't have to ask for our permission to leave.>Unless the amulet is mystically forcing you to, in which case, ask away.>Now, I suggest you head on outside, go look for your brother, and then venture off to the city of Rhea. Seeing as how, Kanden gave out his hometown, I say we hurry on down there and go in for round two.

Again, really hoping that isn't a thing...

And going to Rhea is a bit out of the question, man. Just getting there, let alone getting inside the city itself, is sorta impossible.For one thing, it's on the other side of the world on another continent.

Besides, me and Kaz are out here on a job for the Sultan of East Nadim. We can't just steal the money he lent us and skip town to go chase some fop who beat me up! Then we'd be fugitives on BOTH sides of the continent! Despite how exciting it might seem, being a fugitive ain't fun.Plus, you know I can't fight. Why in all hells would I go looking to get beaten senseless again??

Fi Skirata wrote:>Actually, it remains a good idea to ask us what to do.>But yes, you can totally go now.>Let's go get your brother and find out why he has a cart, shall we?

Well, I suppose that's fine. As long as I ain't being forced to. And yeah, he probably got a cart to carry that big sack of silver. We were both getting really tired of lugging that thing around. Money is heavy...

Anyway, I come back to the now open arch at the front of the temple. The door that trapped me in here isn't just open. It's missing. That's pretty weird. I finally come back out to the mountainside and find a cart. Just a horse-drawn cart and nothing else. No horse, no Kaz. That's also pretty weird.

"Kaz? You still out here?" I call out. No one answers. That's... pretty worrying.

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>That looks like blood on the ground...>This cart was being carried by horse, yes?>I believe that something has attacked the horse and it has subsequently run off or been devoured or disintegrated whole.>I will leave the rest of the sleuthing to my disembodied comrades.

>Damn it, Licia! How did you not hear this with your gigantic flippy-floppy ears?!>WE GOTTA FIND KAZ! HE COULD BE HURT! OH DEAR GOD!>Look for footprints and tracks! The perpetrators couldn't have gotten far!>Unless...>OH, FUCK ME! THEY'RE FLYING, AREN'T THEY?! LOOK OUT FOR GRIFFINS, LICIA!!!

Mr. Fountain wrote:>That looks like blood on the ground...>This cart was being carried by horse, yes?>I believe that something has attacked the horse and it has subsequently run off or been devoured or disintegrated whole.>I will leave the rest of the sleuthing to my disembodied comrades.

Oh. This really is blood! It's trailing off down the mountain. Now I actually am worried! I hope this was just the horse!

Nexeria wrote:>Damn it, Licia! How did you not hear this with your gigantic flippy-floppy ears?!>WE GOTTA FIND KAZ! HE COULD BE HURT! OH DEAR GOD!>Look for footprints and tracks! The perpetrators couldn't have gotten far!>Unless...>OH, FUCK ME! THEY'RE FLYING, AREN'T THEY?! LOOK OUT FOR GRIFFINS, LICIA!!!

I didn't hear anything! My ears aren't the greate- OH GODS I'M WELL AWARE PLEASE STOP YELLING... AND WHAT THE HELLS IS A GRIFFIN!?

Um. Anyway, I look around the cart for any indication of where He might have gone, tracks or otherwise.

Moving around to the back of the cart, I notice there's a few silver coins on the ground. And looking inside it shows there's no big bag full of silver.Apparently it wasn't just some wild animal. Whoever it was took the silver and left all the food, tools, and other stuff. And there's a lot of it. Gods, this is like... months worth of supplies. How long were we to be out here? I could get a closer look if you like, bu-

Huh? Kaz's weird bangle thing was on the ground behind the cart. I nearly tripped over it.And if I ain't going crazy, I'm seeing more coins in a line leading off into the woods down the mountain... along with an occasional smear of blood.

Welp. I think it may be safe to assume we're being robbed and Kaz just got captured, no? The Bridge isn't exactly known for its friendly faces.I sigh. I have to go save him now, don't I?

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Yes, follow those coins! We must save the coins! I mean, Kaz!>Also, was that a sword in the cart? You should see if that weapon suits you more than the axe.

A sword? Oh man. I think I know what sword it is. I look in the cart again to see...

Yep, this was Dad's. It's his old spellblade. I'm actually surprised they didn't take this too; these things are crazy expensive because of the weird crystal and the silver etched in. It's probably a lot sharper than the axe, but it might be a little fragile and I doubt I can use this thing for its intended purpose. I think I'll take it with me anyway, it's easy to carry since it comes with a belt and scabbard. I also slip on Kaz's bangle. I am now carrying a Spellblade, a Bangle, a Rusty Axe, and a Backpack with a Note stuffed in one of the pockets.

I set off following the trail of coins, sword in hand. I have the distinct feeling this will end about as well as my run-in with Kanden.

Megantron wrote:> Follow the blood trail!

I'm on it! It's going the same path as the coin trail.I just hope the blood itself doesn't lead to what I'm thinking it's leading to.Oh... please be the horse.

Nexeria wrote:>In the meantime, tell us everything you know about Kaz.>Who is his father and why did he find you in a ruined house?

Um, alright.Kaz is the son of two Anijan exiles who were forced to leave for... political reasons, or something like that. It was weird. Anyway, he's a real bookish sort, and he seems to know a little bit about everything. I mean, I read a little bit too, but I can't compare to him. He even knows how to fight, but I think he learned that from Dad.

His father was very secretive, actually. All I really knew about him was that he owned a bookstore in West Nadim, was really in to magical artifacts, and always carried this sword around. He was very nice, though. His name was Branimir, but I always heard people just call him "Bran".

As for why I was found in that house... I honestly do not know. I don't remember anything about my life prior to that. All I remember about that time is Father burning that house to the ground before we left and me suddenly having a really big scar that stretched from my right shoulder to my left leg. Why? Did you hope I would summon a mental image of myself when I was a kid? Well, it worked. I hope you're happy.

Fi Skirata wrote:>Was there anything of use left in the cart?>You know. I have some questions. What happened that caused you to get adopted, Licia?> For that matter, where exactly in the world are we?

Well, I took the sword, but I left the tools and food. It would've been too much to carry.

And as I said before, I don't know. I was just found and then had a new family out of nowhere.

As for where we are, it has many names. It is usually just called "The Bridge", because it's a thin land-bridge in the North connecting East and West Nadim. It's also the only part of the continent that isn't desert and is ironically infamous for being VERY hard to settle; there are beasts, bandits, and the land is very rough. Eventually people just gave up on this place... until we spoke with Sultan Hassan.

Meanwhile, as I'm passing through to woods, I am stricken with a conundrum. The trail now forks, the blood leads off in one direction while the coins lead to another. I... am hearing noises. There are voices coming from the path with the coins and ...scraping coming from the bloody path? Then there's also a third path straight ahead which I'm sure doesn't lead to what I'm looking for.Um... Which way should I go?

Nexeria wrote:>I say we check the bloody path first just to make sure Kaz isn't hurt or worse.

Mr. Fountain wrote:>Yes, or worse. It could be the horse!

Fi Skirata wrote:>Yes, yes check the blood and all that.>Don't interrupt my questions!>Didn't I hear you say something about being a fugitive or some such? Am I insane in my millenia of existence?

I was afraid you'd say to follow the blood...Ugh. Fine! I start off in that direction. Let's find out what that scraping sound is, I guess.

And no, you heard right. Both me and Kaz are fugitives in the Eastern Nadim Triarchy. A few years ago they reinstituted their slavery policy for non-humans, so naturally we fled. It doesn't mean much now, though. The Triarchy is about to collapse and there are rebellions all over the place. It's quite hilarious, actually. I'll tell you more later.

Anyway, I creep forward ever so slowly. I have no idea what that noise is.

I trudge around one last tree and there it is.I find a large, half-skinned... thing. I think that might be a horse; it's about picked clean. That's a slight relief. Slight. But there's also another bremin sitting in front of it. Looks like she's the one doing the skinning. The scraping appears to simply be a knife on a whetstone. She doesn't look like a tribal. More like some random bandit. There's a sword stuck in the ground near her, so I doubt she's friendly. Should I approach? Say hello? Um... a-Attack?

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Mr. Fountain wrote:>Sneak up on her and try to worm the blade around her before pressing it against her neck threateningly!

I don't like this. That... doesn't sound like me at all. Ugh. But desperate times and all that. This is The Bridge, after all, and Kaz is counting on me!

I time my steps with her whetstone scraping and, to even my own surprise, am able to get right behind her.

I'm probably not good at this, but I put on as menacing of a face that I think I can manage. I then weave my blade quickly in-between her neck and her ear and hold it lightly against her neck. She stops moving and visibly tenses up, gasping slightly.She looks back at me, giving me a confused grimace.

Yeah, a spellblade would be intimidating if she knew what it was. But that's all it would be. In my hands, it's nothing more than a heavy sword with a focus crystal stuck in it. But if I knew some magic...

"Who th'ells are you?" The other bremin demands. She sounds like some hick villager from the west."Uh... Hi." I say after clearing my throat a little. "Eh? Ya fuckin' with me or somethin'?""I'm no one. Just s-stand up! ...And drop that knife!"She gets up. I notice she's a little bit taller than me, but very skinny. She glares at me and does not drop the knife."I dunno who th'fuck ya think ya're, girl, but I ain't here alone."I assume she's talking about the voices in the other direction.

Nexeria wrote:>Once you have her properly restrained, ask her if she's seen or harmed a human male.

I don't have anything to restrain her with! Unless there's something in the backpack I didn't see, but she might dive for the sword in front of her or run off if I check.

"You're alone now, apparently. b-But I wouldn't call out to your friends if I were you. It wouldn't be ...h-healthy. You lot captured a blonde human, no? What have you done with him?" She recoils a little, but then remembers my blade. She drops her knife and gives me a smug grin."Heh. Why? He yer boyfriend'r some dumb shit?" I press the blade harder against her neck."Ngh... Jessa n' Ahmez took'im off in the other direction. Thought'e worked fer the caravans, they're tryin' ta get carriage routes out of'im"

Jessa? Ahmez? Oh. Fantastic. I know who these people are. I saw them on wanted posters back in Emanya. The other two are humans and the bremin's name is Karri. They're a trio of bandits who mug traders. I didn't check the bounty itself, but I don't think it was very high...

Hm? Did you say something again? Speak up! You might be in my head, but I still can't hear you when you mumble. It's also creepy. Don't do it!

"Hey! Ya just gonna stand there starin' inta space with yer fancy little knife at my throat? I told ya where yer boyfriend is, so... eh... what're ya gonna do? Hehe... Can I go now?" The bremin- Karri snaps me out of it. She steps back a little, too.Uh. Well, What do I do with her? I don't think I have anything to bind her with if she'd try to run to her friends, and I'd rather not k-kill another person. But...My sword hand starts to tremble. I think she's starting to realize I'm all talk.I am really not good at this!